Archive by category ''Environment

The ballroom at the Conservative Political Action Conference may be filled with big names and boisterous crowds, but it’s in the small breakout rooms where activists and leaders are plotting how to undo what the Obama administration has done.

Unbeknown to California officials, oil producers in Kern County have been disposing of chemical-laden wastewater in hundreds of unlined trenches in the ground without proper permits, according to an inventory that regional water officials completed this week.

Koda, the 10-year-old male polar bear at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, emerges from a cubbyhole atop the 6,000-square-foot enclosure he shares with 14-year-old Kobe. He steps out to a nearby ledge, his head bobbing and swinging from side to side. He then backs into the cubbyhole, head still...

On a summer day in 1885, three Hawaiian princes surfed at the mouth of the San Lorenzo River on crudely constructed boards made from coastal redwoods, bringing the sport to the North American mainland.

Rajendra Pachauri, who supervised work on the two most detailed studies of climate change ever completed, stepped down as head of the United Nations panel studying the science after allegations he sexually harassed a colleague.

Recent Stories

The Lummi Nation's position on the Gateway Pacific coal terminal seemed crystal clear in a July 30, 2013, letter to Col. Bruce Estok, district engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Seattle. | 09/18/13 12:12:13 By - John Stark

In the wake of the National Security Agency spying scandal, the American Civil Liberties Union shifted attention Tuesday to the FBI with a report that described the bureau as “a secret domestic intelligence agency.” | 09/17/13 18:50:52 By - By Sarah Sexton

What are the factors that motivate a mass shooter? Washington Navy Yard shooting suspect Aaron Alexis had several characteristics common among mass killers, experts say: aggression, difficulties on the job, paranoia and anger problems. Alexis reportedly went on a rampage Monday, killing 12 people in a commando-style attack at the Navy Yard, where he was beginning work as a civilian contractor. | 09/17/13 19:58:05 By - By Maria Recio

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has scrapped a scheduled state visit to the White House amid Brazilian outrage over news that the U.S. spied on her and a Brazilian oil company. | 09/17/13 20:19:44 By - By Lesley Clark and Vinod Sreeharsha

Voters may not see the yard signs, but the 2014 election campaign is well underway. Congress is taking "test votes" that are more props for future TV ads than serious governing. Interest groups are raising millions to buy the TV ads that will flood the airwaves next fall. And potential candidates are deciding whether to run. | 09/17/13 16:37:04 By - By David Lightman

The federal budget deficit should shrink to 2 percent of the total economy by 2015, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday in a new forecast. The debt held by the public would fall as a share of the economy to a healthier  but still high  68 percent not long afterward. The improving numbers are due to cuts in government spending and an improving economy, and they reflect short-term trends, the CBO said. Over a longer window, through 2038, the nations finances remain on perilous ground, the CBO said. | 09/17/13 17:24:36 By - By Kevin G. Hall and William Douglas

The nation’s elevated poverty rate and stagnant median household income showed no meaningful changes in 2012, while the number and percentage of Americans without health insurance declined slightly from 2011, due mainly to higher Medicare rolls, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report Tuesday. | 09/17/13 18:26:23 By - By Tony Pugh

A day after a bloody rampage at the Washington Navy Yard left 13 dead in the nation’s capital, troubling new details emerged Tuesday about the psychological state of alleged gunman Aaron Alexis and why his life appeared to have suddenly unraveled. | 09/17/13 19:25:46 By - By Kevin G. Hall

The vast majority of Americans – 95 percent – still watch television using traditional cable or satellite options, according to Nielsen. But the number of households that choose to opt out of cable or satellite TV is on the rise, from 2 million in 2007 to 5 million in 2013, Nielsen’s data show. Rapid advances in streaming technology and faster broadband speeds make the transition easier than ever for those looking to “cut the cord.” | 09/16/13 17:51:28 By - By Lindsay Wise

More than 2 million Americans develop antibiotic-resistant infections each year and about 23,000 die as a result, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | 09/16/13 15:55:24 By - By Tony Pugh

President Barack Obama next month will bestow the nations highest military award for gallantry to former Army Capt. William Swenson for valor he displayed during a six-hour battle in eastern Afghanistan in 2009. | 09/16/13 18:40:32 By - By Lesley Clark

British mining giant Anglo American is abandoning its effort to develop Alaska’s Pebble Mine, leaving Canadian explorer Northern Dynasty Minerals alone in its attempt to push through the massive and controversial project. | 09/16/13 20:31:43 By - By Sean Cockerham

When most Americans talk about the heroes of the Alamo, the historic Texas battle for independence from Mexico, they may know the names Davy Crockett, William Travis and James Bowie, but not Juan Seguin. | 09/16/13 15:47:20 By - By Maria Recio

The man suspected of killing 12 people at the Washington Naval Yard has been identified as Aaron Alexis of Fort Worth. Alexis, 34, was found dead at the site of the Monday morning shooting in Washington. Police say they do not have a motive for the shootings. | 09/16/13 15:40:39 By - Deanna Boyd and Bud Kennedy